Mikko Rantanen’s best goal of the season is the one that doesn’t exist.
There are plenty to choose from — he ranks sixth in the NHL with 23 — but his would-be 24th had casual style points. Rantanen followed his shot and batted the rebound out of the air, floating the puck over Coyotes goalie Connor Ingram for a breathtakingly sudden game-tying goal.
Only it wasn’t to be: Cale Makar had lost possession of the puck during his zone entry, making him offside and the goal void after review. Instead of two Avalanche goals in a 35-second span to tie Arizona, it remained a 3-2 deficit that turned into a 6-3 loss.